But Martinez has sympathy for Moyes and believes the double departure of Ferguson and chief executive David Gill were significant factors in his downfall.

Martinez, speaking on Spanish radio, said: 'Everyone knew that to be the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson would be very difficult because after 26 years of continuity, a defined way of working, it was going to be difficult. There is a great mix of reasons.

'The loss of chief executive is so important from a financial point of view. And he was working directly with the manager.

'The players did win the league last year, but they were not able to bring in more players that could provide renewed competition and that little bit of freshness (in the summer).

'It made it difficult, there was Marouane Fellaini and then Juan Mata in January but it probably wasn’t enough to bolster the squad.'

Martinez believes United will bounce back, but the absence of Champions League football will certainly hurt the club.

Instrumental: Gill (right) enjoyed a close working relationship with former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (left)

He said: 'You have to understand that Manchester United is one of the most powerful clubs in the world.

'It is maybe not the fact that they aren’t winning the title but the fact that they will not be in the Champions League. They are seventh now, they will not be in the Europa League as things stands.

'This brings repercussions and unfortunately, this is the nature of football.'

Everton's Merseyside rivals Liverpool could all-but seal the Barclays Premier League title on Sunday if they beat Chelsea at Anfield.

Brendan Rodgers needs seven points from the remaining four games to land the Reds’ first league title in 24 years and Martinez believes the absence of European football this season has been a huge help.

Martinez said: 'Liverpool have had a perfect year in terms of being able to focus themselves on winning the Premier League without European participation, which has helped them hugely.

On fire: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, pictured here scoring against Norwich last weekend, has helped his side to the top of the Premier League table

'They have had the individual brilliance of Luis Suarez, who has been spectacular, the new position of Steven Gerrard and the breakthrough of Sturridge has been essential.

'The great advantage for Liverpool is that they are not competing in Europe. Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have all suffered a lot in Europe and played many, many games.

'Liverpool have developed a formula that is very direct, very dynamic, with brilliant forwards.

'They have Suarez and Sturridge, who are capable of scoring goals at any moment, in any way, and I believe they can win the league after all these years.'

Martinez is still hoping the Toffees can usurp Arsenal in the top four positions, despite the Gunners holding a slender advantage in the race for the Champions League.

Still going strong: Martinez is hopeful his side can still clinch a Champions League spot after victory against United

The plan is to establish Everton as a major force in England and Europe, despite the lack of funds available to other managers.

He said: 'There has always been a little bit of fear over whether Everton could fight to be in the top four because financially, as you know, there are six other teams that can fight for the league.

'My vision at Everton has always been to tap into the history and heritage, a club that has won nine league titles and had great moments in its time. We have to find a way, without the money, to fight for those positions.

'We changed the vision a bit and also the direction of the club in general. The fans have given great backing to the players and with three games remaining we can still qualify for the Champions League. It would be a phenomenal end to the season.'

Belief: Martinez is hoping to use Everton's history to inspire more success in the years to come